Couldn't Wait Any Longer

Tuesday August 1, 2023 -Day 20- This is the day I have been waiting for. It’s finally the day of my release meeting. No station 9-4 this morning, instead we wake and head straight for the Charlton Building 9th floor to meet with my nurse. The nurses are the true unsung heroes of every medical facility. They are truly real people who can so effortlessly work as the in-between for patient and Doctor. Thank God for good nurses.

Before getting to 9th floor Charlton building I get a call from one of the medical schedulers to alert me that my Doctor for this am has been double booked and that she will no longer be able to see me. Instead they would like to squeeze me in tomorrow. Now Usually I am totally into going with the flow and would have happily met with Dr. Johnston the following day. However today was different. Today I am feeling so close. I have been away from my CO home for the better part of 3 months and I’m ready to go. Nothing is going to hold me back from getting on this 5pm flight out of MSP. So as politely as I find myself can be I let the scheduler know that this change will not work and that I would like to see another provider this morning. I’m proud of myself for standing up for myself. It’s about time.

I don’t hear back from the scheduler before my nurse’s appointment. This is fine as I know that my nurse will have a plan to get me seen. She always has a plan. So I continue on and let her know my side effects and healing regiments, and she lets me know how proud they are of me and some of the common problems that I will come across at home and how to deal with these problems. It’s a very positive meeting and just as I suspect my nurse has done some background work to get a provider to come check me out. I’m so happy to have such a positive review and it’s finally time to go!

As a celebration of our positive results, I convince Megs to take me to Benedicts one final time. I get my forbidden shot of espresso, large glass of OJ and my flight of chocolate, s’mores, and blueberry pancakes. It’s now time to go. It’s our final walk-through Rochester. I should be sad but I’m not. Instead, I am incredibly anxious to get away from the City of Hope. We return to our room where I put the final touches on packing up my life. Fortunately I brought a lot of my clothes home on the last trip so my suitcase has plenty of room and should not surpass the 50 lb. weight limit. I’m ready to go.

Our UBER driver picks us up in his Buick Enclave and me and megs both look at each other and gush over how much we love a bucket seat. He gets us to Minneapolis safely and quickly with plenty of time to check in to our flight and grab a bite to eat. We easily breeze through security and from there find a nice food court with a firehouse sub. I get a pastrami sandwich which seems like it takes an hour to make. Four people making sandwiches and it seems like they are all paused. Is this real or am I just at the end of my rope and my mind is playing tricks on me. No this is real. These employees are truly in slow motion. It’s absurd. I get my sandwich and demolish it.

Post sandwich we head for our gate where we find a long line of patrons waiting to speak with a gate agent. Our flight has been delayed. It has been delayed over 45 minutes. And our layover in Denver was only supposed to be for an hour. Ughh ohh. We get in line to speak with the gate agent. She informs us that there is really nothing that she can do to help us and instead we will need to take the necessary steps with customer service at the Denver terminal. Shit how can this be happening to us. I just fucking want to be home. Have I not been through enough. Shieeet.

The time keeps ticking and our plane has not arrived yet. It’s almost an hour past our original boarding time when our plane finally arrives and I am slowly coming to grips with the fact that we will miss our connection in Denver. Fuck. I just want to be home. The plane takes forever to de-board and re-board and now I have no hope for our flight to Vail waiting for us. It’s a bummer but it’s ok. I’ve spent so many nights in a hotel, what is one more?! We take-off and land with no problem and just as we suspected, miss our connection. It’s showtime for us now. It’s time to join the zoo near customer service and try to get our flight rebooked and a hotel for the night.

Now this is not my forte. I hate anything to do with having to speak with customer service to make changes. I’m too much of a pushover. Megs, however, lives for this.

I take Megs’ space in line as she steps out to make a phone call to United as well as walk to another gate to try to make these changes. Literally returns a half hour later with new boarding passes for the following day, a hotel accommodation for that night, and meal stipends for both of us. I love her so much. My queen. We get on the shuttle and depart for the shitty hotel that they are putting us up in. its shitty. But it is something. So tonight I am thankful. Ready to be home. But Thankful.